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My take on the Alaska Railroad after a failed winter journey
In my experience, the Alaska Railroad in winter is not as good as people say. I took a trip last December from Anchorage to Fairbanks, hoping for a scenic ride. But we got stuck for hours due to heavy snow, and the heating in my car was weak. I brought layers, but my feet still got cold, and I missed a northern lights tour because of the delay. Many folks praise the railroad, but they skip over these issues. Your mileage may vary, but I think it's a risk in deep winter. Take this with a grain of salt, but I'd advise better planning than I did.
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ray_morgan7mo ago
Yeah, that tracks with my first try. I froze my tail off waiting on a delayed train near Talkeetna. What finally worked for me was just renting a truck for the Anchorage to Fairbanks run. You lose the train views, but you control the heat, you can pack extra gear in the back, and if the weather turns, you can just pull over and wait it out without being stuck on the tracks. Did that last February and actually made my aurora booking because I could leave a day early to account for bad roads.
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hayden_murray687mo ago
Yikes, @ray_morgan, freezing on a delayed train sounds brutal, but hey, at least the truck worked out?
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kevin_schmidt977mo ago
Renting a truck like @ray_morgan did is such a good call for that route. No way I'd want to be stuck on a cold train either! Controlling your own heat and schedule just makes sense up there.
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